It seems that throughout the history of sport, some of the greatest performances have come from a duo of stars.

Kareem had Magic and eventually Michael had Scottie. Mickey Mantle slugged it out with Roger Maris and 30 years later two bash-brothers from Oakland tried to do the same.

Would any of these great stars have been as great if it weren't for their counterparts?

Would their mystique still linger if one didn't have the other?

For two of Penn State's youngest and best fencers, relying on each other has been part of their lives since either one can remember.

"My first memories are of fencing with [Ian Farr]," sophomore saber Marten Zagunis said. "For as long as I can remember it has been me against him."

Freshman Ian Farr and his more-than-just teammate Zagunis both grew up in a town no one from around here has ever heard of.

And from the beginning, both of them definitely stood out as something special.

Growing up in Oregon, both Zagunis and Farr joined the local fencing club at Farr's high school, Oregon Episcopal. From the age of 8, the two of them studied under former Notre Dame coach Ed Korfanty, a legend in his own time.

For those of you not up to date on your six degrees to Penn State fencing, Korfanty is a good friend of Penn State assistant Wes Glom, who personally recruited both Zagunis and Farr.

This club for aspiring fencers is where Farr and Zagunis not only grew and matured as fencers but also as friends.

A third party acquaintance, Patrick Ghattas is a star for Notre Dame. In this close-knit atmosphere, tensions ran high and sometimes the pot boiled over.

"Everyone was really competitive," Farr said. "Little fights would break out here or there, but with [Marten] and I, every bout was intense. It was positive though, there was never a time when it was personal, the adrenaline was just pumping too high."

Ten years flew by and Marten had a handful of schools to chose from. When the time came for Farr to decide he didn't even hesitate.

"I came out to visit with [Marten] and I knew this is where I needed to come," Farr said. "We had grown so close that it wouldn't seem right for me to go anywhere else."

As far as fencing styles go, everyone has a different way of getting a point, but when the two lanky kids from Oregon fight its like fighting in front of a mirror.

"I can't surprise [Ian]," Zagunis said. "When he's on the strip I watch him, and I see what worked for him and then I use the same strategy. The same things goes for him."

Fighting styles aside, this tenacious tandem's need for one another goes much deeper.

"If I'm down 4-0 to some schmuck from some no name school," Zagunis said. "I just look at Ian and I can tell by the way he looks at me that he's telling me to get my head together. He doesn't even have to say anything. I can just tell."

Last year, Zagunis participated in nationals and finished sixth. The experience was important for him because he learned the ins and outs of the beast that is a 72-man round robin.

For Farr, it was just as valuable because he can turn to his friend for advice with the sense of security that he'll deliver.

And when Farr won first two weeks ago at regionals the first person to congratulate him was Zagunis.

So they have a connection, a way about them that they can know what the others thinking at any time, but while sitting down with the two of them for the better part of an hour I noticed something.

It was in the way they carried themselves, in the way they shy away from gloating.

Heck, they even wear their hair the same way. From the start I had wanted to find something little that I could exaggerate; a grudge, a sour spot, something, but there was no such thing.

What it comes down to is that they need each other, just like Abbott needed Costello or peanut butter needs jelly. With the national championship on the horizon, odds are that it might just come down to Marten vs. Farr for the gold.

And if that happens will the young apprentice let his teacher win? Zagunis once again got points on my character scale when he said, "I wouldn't want [Ian] to let me win."

That's what duos are all about.